Reviewed by Ian Phillips.
By King Canyon, Independent/Ampersand Management 2021.
Melbourne band King Canyon are new to me however, this release is their sixth single since their formation in early 2020.
The band consists of founding duo Jimmy Cupples on vocals and guitarist James Ryan (Ross Wilson, The Badloves) and they are joined by Kit Riley on bass and Hadyn Meggitt on drums.
There are decades of experience in this line-up and it’s evident in the class of this single.
James Ryan comments about the band’s formation that “when the worldwide quarantine kicked in and the live scene came to a sudden halt, I decided to finally pursue a band project I had wanted to do for so long.”
Some of you might remember Cupples as a finalist on The Voice but he also has an impressive resume in rock musicals and tribute shows.
The King Canyon sound is a blend of ‘60s melody mixed with ‘70s-‘80s power blues and stadium rock.
Jimmy Cupples has the right voice, swagger, and front man cred to pull it off, a kind of Australian Robert Plant.
The band’s sound is heavily influenced by James Ryan’s dominant guitar and rock/blues licks which, unsurprisingly considering his time with them, are similar to the blues/soul tones of The Badloves.
Interestingly King Canyon will be touring with The Badloves early next year so, if you’re into power rock that’d be a good show to catch.
With six singles under their belt, I would expect an album from King Canyon is on the way.
The story of Gravity is that the song was originally a “time to move on and let’s see what’s over the horizon” composition but when they came up with the chorus it changed the dynamic, feel and direction of the song.
It became more about striving for something better, even when gravity keeps pulling you back down and I suppose that sums up the band.
The song optimistic and so is the band.
And they have a right to be, they are gifted musicians; they write good songs; they have a magnetic front man; and they’re proving that Aussie pub rock is still alive.
